Dizzee Rascal

Madonna Sings 'Happy Birthday' To Justin Timberlake; Plus Rihanna, Beck, Warped Tour, George Clooney & More, In For The Record

31 Jan 2008 08:12:00 EST

Rihanna to perform at Grammy fashion event; Odelay reissue tainted by incorrect lyrics; Warped dates announced.
By MTV News staff

Madonna
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Justin Timberlake got one heck of a 27th birthday surprise on Thursday (January 31) when Madonna presented him with a cupcake and champagne on the set of her new video, Madge's representative told MTV News. The clip, for "4 Minutes to Save the World," is currently being shot in London with directors Jonas & Francois (who helmed Justice's "D.A.N.C.E.") (Maroon 5, James Blunt) and will feature JT as well as Timbaland. The track will appear on Madonna's yet-untitled LP, due this year. ...

In Style magazine is teaming with the Grammys for the first-ever Grammy Salute to Fashion, which will take place February 7 and feature a performance by Rihanna. The event peeks at the spring collections from the fashion houses of Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Diddy, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Simpson. It will be hosted by producer Jimmy Jam and also feature a showcase for the Recording Academy's own fashion line, Grammy Brand. ...

Beck's Odelay deluxe reissue is filled with unreleased and rare tracks, and other goodies — but incorrect lyrics weren't supposed to be among them. "The first pressing of the recent Odelay [reissue] was found to have gone out with unproofed lyrics that were taken from a lyrics Web site as place holders for layout purposes," his publicist said in a statement. "Beck apologizes for this unfortunate oversight and is making arrangements for the corrected lyrics to be available gratis via Beck.com. Subsequent pressings of the Odelay [reissue] will also include the corrected lyrics." ...

The routing for this year's Warped Tour will find the 14th annual edition of the fest kicking off June 20 in Pomona, California, and swinging through 45 cities across North America before winding up August 17 in Los Angeles. Venues for the trek have not yet been announced, and tickets won't go on sale until March. Confirmed performers include Gym Class Heroes, Every Time I Die, the Academy Is ..., Relient K, From First to Last and Reel Big Fish, who will all perform on the entire tour. ...

George Clooney toured the United Nations headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday as part of a ceremony anointing him a U.N. messenger of peace, according to The Associated Press. The "Michael Clayton" actor, who recently returned from a trip to Sudan, took on his new U.N. "role" — for which he will promote the world body's peacekeeping missions — after launching many of his own efforts to end the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. ...

Dizzee Rascal and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have been added to the list of performers for this year's Plug Independent Music Awards, to be held March 6 in New York. Funnyman Patton Oswalt will host, with José González and St. Vincent — who, like Cave and Rascal, are also nominated for Plug honors — also performing. ... Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore slipped out an exclusive iTunes EP on Wednesday, according to Pitchfork. Live From SoHo showcases Moore — with SY drummer Steve Shelley and others — performing nine songs at an Apple store in New York in October. ... She & Him — Zooey Deschanel's music project with indie folkie M. Ward — are plotting to release their first album, Volume 1, March 18 via Merge. The group has also been added to San Francisco's Noise Pop, slated for February 26 through March 2. Working for a Nuclear Free City, Quasi, White Denim, Entrance and Great Northern have also been tossed onto the fest's bill. ...

Antony has handcrafted a white silk dress and is planning to put it up for auction February 14 on eBay. Proceeds will go to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, a grassroots group that fights for the rights of people to self-determine their gender identity and expression. ... The indie-rock community is continuing to reach out to help Callum Robbins, the 2-year-old son of former Jawbox frontman J. Robbins who has an incurable spinal disease. Now rare items by Mission of Burma, Shellac, Shudder to Think, John Vanderslice, Kristin Hersch and others are The bidding will end in seven or eight days, depending on the item. ...

J Mascis's Witch project — the sludgy, metal-ish answer to his main band, Dinosaur Jr. — have thrown together their second album, Paralyzed, and it will see the light of day March 18. Witch are also scheduled to play this year's South by Southwest music festival, set for March 12-16 in Austin, Texas. ... Ex-Jesus Lizard frontman David Yow had been touring with his new band, Qui — until he suffered a collapsed lung during a stop in Pittsburgh earlier this week. According to Pitchfork, he was released from the hospital Tuesday night and is planning to attend Thursday's Los Angeles premiere of "Al's Beef," a short-form Western in which he acted. While Yow has recovered, though, Qui's live dates in February and March are still scrapped. ...

Ahoy, Pirate Bay — you've got a bit of a problem on your hands. Four men who run the popular file-sharing site are facing charges of conspiracy to break copyright law in Sweden, according to BBC News. While the site's servers don't contain copyrighted material, they do offer links to the download location of movies, TV shows, albums and software. A prosecutor reportedly said the site — which was temporarily shut down two years ago after police seized its computers — was commercially exploiting copyright-protected materials because it got its money from advertising revenues. "In case we lose the pending trial (yeah right) there will still not be any changes to the site," replied a post on the site. "The Pirate Bay will keep operating just as always. We've been here for years and we will be here many more." The men could go to prison for up to two years if convicted, according to BBC News.

1.30.08

All hail Madonna: the singer is the richest woman in music, according to Forbes.com. Madge reportedly earned a staggering $72 million between June 2006 and June of last year, with her Confessions tour raking in $260 million. Also earning big bucks were Shakira ($38 million), Beyoncé ($27 million), Gwen Stefani ($26 million), Christina Aguilera ($20 million), Mariah Carey ($13 million), Hilary Duff ($12 million), Avril Lavigne ($12 million), Britney Spears ($8 million), Carrie Underwood ($7 million), Nelly Furtado ($7 million), Fergie ($6 million), Jennifer Lopez ($6 million) and Norah Jones ($5.5 million). ... Brangelina better have a lifetime supply of Pampers — the couple are expecting more children, according to UsMagazine.com. Angelina Jolie, who already has four children with Brad Pitt, is reportedly pregnant with twins with her mate. ...

Kevin Federline's lawyer wants Britney Spears to pay up. Mark Vincent Kaplan filed a motion Tuesday asking the court to make Spears foot his client's attorney bill, according to TMZ. The Web site estimates the fees to be more than $500,000 since the custody battle began in July. A hearing on the request is set for March 10. ...

The 3-D flick "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" accounted for roughly 90 percent of ticket sales at Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com as of Wednesday morning (January 30), even though it will only open in 684 digital theaters on Thursday at midnight, Reuters reports. ...

The Academy Awards have a backup plan in the event that the ongoing writers' strike doesn't resolve itself by then, The Associated Press reports. The February 24 ceremony's contingency program would include "history and packages of film and concepts that are not normally ones that we would have for the show if we were moving straight ahead," Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis reportedly said Wednesday. The Academy is in talks with the Writers Guild of America, AP says. ... Death Cab for Cutie have slapped a title onto their next album, which is due in May. According to a post on the indie-rockers' Web site, they're calling it Narrow Stairs. ...

What would a year be like without the Snoop Bowl? Snoop Dogg announced on Wednesday that he will stage the event for a sixth time — and he's going to have to hustle, since he's planning for it to happen Saturday. The charity game will be held at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Matt Leinart Foundation, a group set up by the Arizona Cardinals quarterback that helps disadvantaged youth. Leinart will be in attendance at the Bowl. ... A day later is the Super Bowl, of course, and ESPN is planning to sport an odd musical combo on its "Sunday NFL Countdown" pregame show prior to Sunday's big game. Acoustic heavy-metal duo Rodrigo y Gabriela will perform and chat on the show. ...

Keep your eye out for unreleased freestyle and video footage from Eminem, Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan and other hip-hop superstars that will surface on UrSession.com, a new social-networking site that launches Thursday in beta form. The site, hatched by System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian, along with King Tech and MTV News' own Sway, will also feature a music label and an area that allows artists to audition their music. The unreleased hip-hop footage is coming courtesy Sway and Tech's "Wake Up Show." ... Ruben Studdard just can't catch a break anymore. The former "Idol" champ, who was dropped by J Records last year after his 2006 LP, The Return, tanked, is suing a concert promoter for breach of contract. TMZ reports that Studdard is seeking $45,000 from Dallas company Peachez Inc. in a suit filed Monday in New York Supreme Court. ...

Organizers of the Melbourne leg of Australia's Big Day Out festival were defending themselves Tuesday against charges that they could have done a better job with security during a set Monday by bombastic reunited rockers Rage Against the Machine. According to the Herald-Sun, dozens of fans in the crowd of 46,000, the biggest ever for a Melbourne Big Day Out show, climbed to precarious spots on top of marquees, speaker stacks and trees, forcing headliners Rage to stop playing for a bit as security pulled them down. Two men were also seriously injured during the set after falling off a marquee — one dislocated his shoulder and the other suffered spinal shock — and one crowd-surfer was pulled over the barrier unconscious, according to the paper. Fans reportedly complained of overcrowding and a floor plan that made the crowd aggressive, though organizers said that considering it was the first year at a new venue, things went smoothly. "This is the first year at a brand-new venue and, generally, everything ran very well," said spokesperson Miranda Brown. In all, 11 people were transported to the hospital during or after the event and 413 were treated, mostly for minor injuries. ...

Mötley Crüe have written 10 songs for their forthcoming LP, according to bassist Nikki Sixx. "I'm very proud of the songs," he said in a post on his Web site. "I think we're onto some of the better songs we've had in years. Time will tell, of course." Some of the songs slated to appear on the record include "A Scar on Hollywood Blvd" and "The Saints of Los Angeles." Sixx said the record will be named The Dirt — calling to mind the band's autobiography, "The Dirt - Mötley Crüe: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band" — and the lyrics will follow the story in the book. "It's challenging and exciting to have to write the songs into time capsules spreading over years," Sixx said in his post. "I've written a lot of songs with [guitarist] Mick Mars ... and the chemistry in the studio as we're writing is unbelievable." ... Pink is not alone: Like the pop singer, Chrissie Hynde is joining People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' protest over horse-drawn carriages in New York. The Pretenders frontwoman, who was married years ago while sitting in a horse-drawn carriage in Manhattan, will lead a PETA protest and talk with tourists on Thursday. She's also backing a recently introduced bill that would ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC. ...

30 Seconds to Mars premiered their new short film, "A Beautiful Lie," Wednesday on MySpace. The band claims the video for the title track from its 2005 platinum album marks the first time a music clip has been shot 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Greenland. "Shooting in Greenland was a dream come true and one of the most exciting adventures we've ever had as a band," singer Jared Leto said in a statement. "Although incredibly challenging and at times it seemed just out of our reach, once we finally arrived, the beauty and magnificence of the terrain, the wonderful culture of the people, and the amazing journey itself were all inspiring beyond belief. Almost everyone has heard of global warming by now but for the people of Greenland it is a real and tangible problem of today, not an issue of tomorrow. This journey changed our lives." The band and the video's director worked with the National Resource Defense Council to find ways to offset the environmental impact of filming, including minimizing fuel consumption and buying certificates supporting renewable-energy generation that offset the environmental effects of burning coal, gas and other fossil fuels across North America. ...

Papa Roach are down a drummer following the departure of Dave Buckner, frontman Jacoby Shaddix confirmed in a post on the band's MySpace page. "It was one of the hardest things we have ever had to do," he wrote of the split. "He's taking this time to get his life together. We are still friends and still talk on a regular basis. The road is a hard place to live, and if you are falling apart, it will destroy you. He will be missed." There's no word yet on whether the band has found or is searching for Buckner's replacement. ... Chevelle and Finger Eleven — who opened for Evanescence last year — will hit the road together again starting February 19 in Flint, Michigan. Dates run through April 2 in Denver. ... Face to Face will reunite for some upcoming live shows after breaking up in 2003. There are no immediate plans for a full scale tour, but the punk outfit will play select festival dates in the U.S., including Bamboozle Left, which is set for April 5 in Irvine, California. ...

John Oates' mustache — yeah, the one you might've seen on your parents' old Hall & Oates records — is so famous that it's getting its own cartoon, according to Glenwood Springs, Colorado's Post Independent. "My mustache has superpowers," Oates, who has since shaved off the 'stache, told the paper. The 'toon is reportedly in development. ... While dating your tourmate would be pretty convenient, Miley Cyrus insists that she and Jonas Brothers heartthrob Nick Jonas are not an item. "We're just really good buds," the singer told USA Today. The "Hannah Montana" starlet was on the road with the band of brothers for the Best of Both Worlds Tour from October till December, before the Jonases were replaced by Aly & AJ. ... It's still unclear who, exactly, is in the re-formed New Kids on the Block, but after 14 years apart, the reunited boy band has a new song on its Web site. Portions of a new, untitled track have been posted on the NKOTB site over a montage of images highlighting their career. The piano ballad features the lines, "I know it's hard to see me go/ To see me standin' so close to the door/ And I know it's hard when I'm far away/ But I promise you when I get back, I'll stay." The clip ends with the words, "Are You Ready?" flashing on the screen.

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Hulk Hogan's Son Injured In Car Crash; Plus Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis, Missy Elliott, Panic! At The Disco & More, In For The Record

27 Aug 2007 01:03:00 EDT

'Idol' champ bares her 'Tattoo'; Lewis primes debut LP; Elliott featured in Doritos ad campaign.
By MTV News staff

Nick Bollea's car after the Sunday crash
Photo: Tim Boyles/ Getty Images

Nick Bollea, Hulk Hogan's 17-year-old son, was discharged from a hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Monday morning (August 27) after being involved in a car accident the previous evening. Police said Bollea, who was featured in VH1's "Hogan Knows Best" reality series, was driving his Toyota Supra at a high speed along state route 60 when he lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a raised median at 7:30 p.m. in Clearwater. The car reportedly flipped over, and the rear of the vehicle collided with a palm tree. Bollea and one of his car's passengers, 22-year-old John Graziano, were airlifted to the Bayfront Medical Center following the crash. The nature of both Bollea's and Graziano's injuries was not immediately known, but a police spokesperson characterized them as serious. Graziano remains under the hospital's care in critical condition. Alcohol is not believed to have played a role in the accident, but police continue to investigate the crash. No criminal charges have been filed. ...

Jordin Sparks doesn't have a name for her debut album yet, but she's got a release date set in stone: November 20. In anticipation of the 19 Recordings/ Jive disc, the "American Idol" champ drew back the curtains on her first single on Friday, debuting "Tattoo" on AOL's Pop Eater blog. The track hits radio Monday. Sparks told The Associated Press that the effort was partly modeled after one of her own idols, Kelly Clarkson — but that she's a bit nervous to be following in the wake of Clarkson and Carrie Underwood's success. "They've risen the bar so high and I'm like, 'I hope I can reach it,' " she said. "Hopefully [my LP will] sell well and people will like it." ...

The runner-up to Sparks, Blake Lewis, is following suit — he just signed to 19 Recordings/ Arista and is planning to drop his first album late this year as well. Hit-maker du jour J.R. Rotem is already on board for the effort. ...

It's no McDonald's parking-lot tour, but Missy Elliott will be featured in a new Doritos ad campaign debuting September 17, Billboard.com reports. In the clip, she is seen working on a new song and snacking on Doritos Collision, different-flavored chips that spur her to fuse a little country into her hip-hop track. A contest to be held on SnackStrongProductions.com will allow visitors to create their own mash-ups using Elliott's track, although the prizes have yet to be determined. The site also features a help section in which Elliott will give tips. ...

Listen up, punk-rockers: Unreleased and rare tracks by Panic! at the Disco, Gym Class Heroes, the Used, Cute Is What We Aim For, Sparta, Head Automatica and more fill up Press Play: Volume 1, a new comp that was put together by Photo Finish and Alternative Press. A portion of the proceeds from the September 25 release will go to the Keep a Breast Foundation, a nonprofit organization that fights breast cancer. ...

The Disney Channel will air a special dance-along version of "High School Musical 2" on September 8 at 8 p.m. ET, People reports. Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and other castmembers will instruct viewers on how to mimic their dance moves during the opening and closing numbers. ... Russell Simmons has stepped down from his post as CEO of Phat Fashions, the company he founded in 1992 that spawned Phat Farm clothing. "I leave the division and the brand in great hands. There are so many things I want to achieve, and this is the appropriate moment for me to move on to my next business venture," the hip-hop mogul said in a statement. ...

Mos Def is sounding off about José Padilla, the Guantánamo detainee who was convicted earlier this week of supporting terrorism. "We all know the history of insufficient evidence or testimony under duress — at the very least, legal circumstances that demand some sort of reinvestigation ... basically saying these people are not the criminals they're being made out to be," he told The Associated Press on Thursday. Mos Def will participate this weekend in the 10th annual Black August benefit concert at New York's Nokia Theatre. The event serves to create awareness about people who its organizers, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, believe have been unfairly convicted — Talib Kweli, Saigon and Dead Prez are also on the bill. ...

Music, martial arts and chess ... how could members of the Wu-Tang Clan not be involved? RZA and GZA are participating in the Hip-Hop Chess Foundation's first-ever Chess Kings Invitational, set for October 13 at the San Francisco Design Center. The rappers will talk on the tournament's Life Strategies panel about how music, martial arts and chess — activities the organization uses to promote nonviolence — have affected their lives. ...

Muse have plotted a handful of September dates with Juliette and the Licks: Seattle (September 9); Portland, Oregon (September 10); Orem, Utah (September 12); Dallas (September 16); Morrison, Colorado (September 18); Mesa, Arizona (September 20); and Irvine, California (September 21). Muse will also hit the San Diego Street Scene on September 22. ... Ben Kweller just squeezed out a new seven-track live EP, Ben Kweller: Live and Solo at the Artists Den, that was recorded December 13 at New York's Solo House. The disc of rarely performed songs is available now at digital outlets. ...

System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian will shoot a video for "Praise the Lord, Pass the Ammunition," from the rocker's solo debut, Elect the Dead, at an undisclosed venue in Hollywood next week with director Greg Watermann (Mudvayne, Lamb of God). Extras are needed for the video — those interested in auditioning can e-mail Watermann at serjvideo@gregwatermann.com. ... The track list for Thrice's upcoming LP The Alchemy Index: Vols. I & II - Fire & Water has been revealed. Fire will boast six cuts, including "The Messenger," "Backdraft" and "Burn the Fleet"; Water will also contain six tunes, among them "Open Water," "Night Diving" and "Kings Upon the Main." Look for the discs to hit stores October 16. ...

A writer/producer who worked on "In Living Color" and created Nickelodeon's "Roundhouse" is suing the Walt Disney Company, claiming it stole his idea for "Hannah Montana," Reuters reports. In the suit, Morris Taylor "Buddy" Sheffield says he pitched Disney Channel executives the idea for a kids' show about a high school student who leads a secret life as a pop star. Sheffield also claims Disney could owe him and his production company millions in lost profits and damages, and he wants compensation for legal fees. A Disney Channel spokesperson told the news service the network had no comment. ...

Kirsten Dunst's penthouse suite at a hotel in Manhattan, New York, was robbed earlier this month, according to court records obtained by AP. Thieves got away with a $13,000 handbag, cell phone, $2,500 in cash, an iPod, two digital cameras and ID cards belonging to the actress, who had been in the city to shoot scenes for her upcoming flick "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People." One suspect was arraigned Wednesday on burglary and grand-larceny charges, and is being held on $50,000 bond. ...

Hellyeah — the band featuring members of Mudvayne, Pantera and Nothingface — are on the hunt for a dozen women they'd like to act as their "Hellyeah girls." The winners will be featured in the band's 2008 calendar — to enter, contestants need to post an audition video to Break.com and send a link to the clip to hellyeahtv@gmail.com. ... The Dillinger Escape Plan will headline a U.S. tour this fall set to kick off October 4 in Cleveland, Ohio. Just five dates have been confirmed, but more will be announced in the coming weeks. The trek will also feature A Life Once Lost, Behold ... the Arctopus and Genghis Tron. Dillinger's forthcoming LP, Ire Works, lands in stores November 13. ...

The resurrected Jesus & Mary Chain are heading back to the studio to record their first studio album in nine years. The band will also treat four West Coast cities to more concerts: Las Vegas (October 20); Anaheim, California (October 22); Los Angeles (October 23) and San Francisco (October 26-27). ... Queen guitarist Brian May has finished his doctorate in a crazy little thing called astrophysics — he was awarded his Imperial College qualification on Thursday in London. May had been an astrophysics student before joining the band 37 years ago but dropped out as Queen became successful. His thesis? "Radical Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud." ...

Ted Nugent is at it again. The controversial right-wing rocker went on a profanity-spewed tirade at a concert last week, according to video footage posted on LiveLeak.com. With machine guns in his hands, a camouflaged Nugent yelled, "Obama, he's a piece of sh--, and I told him to suck on my machine gun. ... And then I was in New York. I said, 'Hey Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset.' " He also went off on Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer before saying, "Any questions?" and shouting, "Freedom!"

08.23.07

In one minute, out the next: Nicole Richie checked herself into the Century Regional Facility in Lynwood, California, on Thursday (August 23) to start serving her DUI sentence — only to find herself checking out less than an hour and a half later due to overcrowding. Richie had been sentenced to serve four days in jail. "At this time, the criteria for a female arrestee sentenced to 30 days or less for a nonviolent offense is as follows: the arrestee is booked, screened and usually released within 12 hours," the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a press release issued to MTV News. "This procedure is based on jail overcrowding to manage population levels mandated by federal court guidelines. Based on the mandated guidelines and Ms. Richie's 96 hours sentence, she will be treated in the same manner as other inmates with a similar sentence." The jail is the same one where Paris Hilton served a portion of her DUI sentence. ...

The Kelly Clarkson train is slowly getting back on the tracks. After the early-summer one-two punch of dumping her manager and canceling the tour in support of My December, the singer has booked the first two shows of what is expected to be a fall/winter outing. The dates — an October 10 show at Verona, New York's Turning Stone casino and another on October 15 at New York's Beacon Theater — are in venues decidedly smaller than some of the arenas Clarkson had been originally booked to hit as part of her scotched 35-date summer tour. The full itinerary for her rescheduled trek is expected in two weeks, according to a management spokesperson. ...

Justin Timberlake is joining the cast of "The Love Guru," a sports comedy starring Mike Myers, Verne Troyer and Jessica Alba. The Myers-produced film is set to begin production next month in Toronto and tentatively be released in theaters June 20. Timberlake will play a hockey player tangled in a love triangle with the top player on a team owned by Alba. ...

Though she's not likely to attend the ceremony given her doctor's orders to take a break from touring and making appearances for the rest of the year, Amy Winehouse is one of the leading nominees for England's Music of Black Origin awards with four nominations for Best U.K. Female, Best R&B Act, Best Video and Best Song for "Rehab." Also nominated for four awards is rapper Dizzee Rascal. The show will take place September 19 at the O2 arena in London, with the winner chosen by a tally of public votes on the event's Web site. A number of American acts are also nominated, among them Kanye West, Common and 50 Cent in the Best Hip-Hop category; and Amerie, Robin Thicke and Ne-Yo, who will battle Winehouse in the Best Song category. Rihanna has a pair of nominations, including one for Best International Act, in which she'll face off against Diddy, Akon and T.I.. ...

In related news, Paolo Nutini has reshuffled his tour plans following news that tour partner Winehouse tabled her U.S. trek until next year. The Scottish singer/songwriter's jaunt will now run from September 7 in Buffalo, New York, through October 28 in New Orleans. "I'll be thinking a good thought for her, she is a remarkable talent. In the meantime, I'm truly excited about this upcoming tour of North America — I guarantee it will be my best yet," Nutini said in a statement. ...

Rapper Saigon was arrested at 1:45 a.m. on Wednesday in New York on Manhattan's West Side after police stopped him for a traffic violation and allegedly found a switchblade-like knife in the car console. According to his lawyer Scott Leemon, the rapper (born Brian Daniel Carenard) was pulled over while driving someone else's car in what Leemon called "another example of NY's finest targeting a member of the rap and entertainment industry ... the small pocket knife was found in a console in the car, not in his possession. As such, I am hoping after further investigation this will be another example of a rapper being wrongfully arrested." Because of a prior felony assault charge, the weapon-possession charge was bumped up to a felony, according to Leemon. Saigon was released on $1,500 bail and is due in court again December 5. ...

On the hunt for killer B-sides? How about Killers B-sides? The band — which put out its last studio album, Sam's Town, less than a year ago — is planning to pump out a rarities disc before the end of the year, Brandon Flowers recently told Billboard.com. The band's cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay," rendition of Mel Tillis' "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" and "Spider-Man 3" soundtrack contribution "Move Away" are all on the tentative track list, which may include new material. The Killers have also teed up a different new song for release December 1: "Don't Shoot Me Santa," the band's next Christmas charity single for the Red Campaign. "Last year we were able to raise over $100,000 from the one song ['A Great Big Sled'], and hopefully we'll be able to do it again," Flowers said. ...

The Decemberists aren't planning just any old tour — on their upcoming trek, dubbed "The Long and Short of It," the indie-rockers will mix it up by playing at least two nights in 13 cities. They're also parsing the trek into "long" and "short" shows — the former ones will showcase their poppier material and the latter gigs will revolve around the band's epic songs. The jaunt runs from October 28 in Chicago through December 9 in Seattle. The Decemberists have also slapped together a new EP — The Perfect Crime #2 drops September 25 and features four tracks, including a remix by Junior Boys. ... Morrissey's tour plans are perhaps even more ambitious: For what is expected to be his last sweep through the States for a while, he'll hole up in Los Angeles for a marathon 10-night stand at the Palladium (October 1-13), play a four-night stand at San Francisco's Fillmore and a five-night one at New York's' Hammerstein Ballroom (October 28). Dates for the full trek are from September 21 (Las Vegas) through November 4 (Atlanta). ... Last but not least, Bright Eyes have beefed up their tour regiment, stretching their run from September 13 in Denver through November 19 in New York. ...

Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore doesn't have too many kind words to say about Avril Lavigne and John Mayer these days — although he's got plenty of respect for a certain avant-garde legend and another classic-rock hero. "I am playing with Yoko Ono, and she's well past 70 and she rocks," he told Spin for the magazine's September issue. "Neil Young rocks. It's certainly not John Mayer or Avril Lavigne. Those people don't rock. If that's the young generation in the culture, then [forget] it. In the underground, the old guys are cool. I like the fact that the older we get the more we can rock." ... Ramones fans, get ready to be bombarded: More than four hours of unreleased and rare concert material is being piled onto "It's Alive 1974-1996," a double-DVD set poised for an October 2 release. With performances of a whopping 118 songs, the set is highlighted by unissued video footage of the band's New Year's Eve 1977 gig at London's Rainbow Theatre — the show was previously captured in audio form, as the band's noted It's Alive live album. ...

Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder will perform at the world premiere of the Iraq war documentary "Body of War" at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11. The movie, which tells the story of paralyzed Iraq war vet Tomas Young — who appeared on stage with PJ at Lollapalooza — features two new songs written by Vedder, "No More" and "Long Nights." ... Talk about product placement. Southern-rap-news Web site MemphisRap.com claims Master P and his son Romeo have teamed up with T-Mobile to promote the new Sidekick LX by writing a song called "Sidekick" for their upcoming Miller Boyz album, due September 4 on P's new profanity-free label, Take a Stand Records. ... Fred Durst is in negotiations to direct "Comeback," an inspirational Pop Warner football drama starring Ice Cube, according to The Hollywood Reporter. ...

Samuel L. Jackson will emcee Save the Children's 75th anniversary event at New York's Lincoln Center on September 6. The event, to feature a performance by Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, will also serve as a tribute to former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, as well as Melinda Gates, for their humanitarian efforts. ... If you have tickets to see enigmatic metal-masked rapper MF Doom anytime soon and the guy onstage doesn't look, or even sound like, the Super Villain you know and love, you might be onto something. Bloggers have been abuzz over the past week about several recent West Coast Doom shows that have reportedly featured an impostor taking the stage in place of the rapper and performing (some say lip-synching) in Doom's place. The first sign that something was up, according to a fan who wrote into the Byron Crawford blog, was that cameras at a recent San Francisco show were strictly prohibited. The disgruntled fan wrote that Doom appeared 100 pounds lighter than usual during the 20-minute headlining performance. A spokesperson for Doom had no comment. ...

A forensics expert backed up defense claims made in the Phil Spector murder trial — and refuted by a prosecution witness on Wednesday — that Lana Clarkson might have continued breathing after she was shot at the music producer's mansion. Prosecutors sparred with the expert, Dr. Werner Spitz, afterward. ... The biggest ticketing agency in the country and the world's biggest concert promoter appear headed for a breakup. According to reports in Hits magazine online and Variety, internal documents about the negotiations from Ticketmaster said it is "doubtful" that Live Nation will renew its agreement with Ticketmaster when their current agreement expires at the end of this year. The loss of the Live Nation business, which Variety said accounted for about 15-20 percent of Ticketmaster's U.S. business in 2006, could mean Live Nation is gearing up to launch its own ticketing venture.

[This story was originally published at 8:00 pm E.T. on 8.23.2007]

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Air, Dizzee Rascal, Nellie McKay, TV On The Radio To Perform At Shortlist Awards

15 Oct 2004 08:53:00 EDT

Show will air on MTV2 on November 20.
By Jem Aswad, with additional reporting by Jack Baribault and Greg Buyalos

Franz Ferdinand (file)
Photo: Epic

Awards shows are nothing without performances, and the Shortlist Music Prize ceremony is mostly an excuse to have a great concert. This year is no exception: Air, Dizzee Rascal, Nellie McKay and TV on the Radio are scheduled to perform at the Shortlist ceremony at the Avalon Theater in Hollywood on November 15. More performers — both Shortlist finalists and acts associated with them — are expected to be announced.

The event will be broadcast on MTV2 on November 20 at 9 p.m. ET.

Along with the four confirmed performers, the 10 Shortlist finalists include Franz Ferdinand for their self-titled debut, Ghostface for The Pretty Toney Album, the Killers for Hot Fuss, Loretta Lynn for Van Lear Rose, the Streets for A Grand Don't Come for Free and Wilco for A Ghost Is Born (for video and sound clips, photos and more, check out "Shortlist Prize Finalists: A Mixtape From The Stars").

Now in its fourth year, the goal of the Shortlist Prize is to "honor the most adventurous and creative albums of the year across all genres of music," according to its mission statement.

"The Shortlist is decided on the merit of the music rather than on industry criteria, so it's not based on marketing or sales or anything like that, which is pretty cool," Franz Ferdinand singer Alex Kapranos told MTV earlier this month. "I really appreciate the eclectic nature of the nominations: We've got people like Loretta Lynn on one side, then Dizzee Rascal and the Streets on the other, and Wilco there as well."

The winner is determined by a panel of musicians, music journalists and music-business executives (the "Listmakers"), who each nominated their seven favorite albums and then winnowed down the initial "Long List" of 73 albums to a "Shortlist" of 10 finalists (for the Long List, see "Franz Ferdinand, Killers, Wilco, Ghostface Make First Round Of Shortlist Prize").

This year's 22 Listmakers include John Mayer, Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, Norah Jones, the Roots' Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, the Cure's Robert Smith, System of a Down's Serj Tankian and the Dixie Chicks (see "John Mayer, Chris Carrabba, ?uestlove, Norah Jones Sign On For Shortlist Prize").

"To get some acknowledgement from [the Listmakers], people that we look up to and respect, that's pretty important," Kapranos said. He and Franz guitarist Nick McCarthy mentioned fellow Glasgow band Sons and Daughters, British outfit the Bloc Party, L.A.'s Blood Arm and New York-based sibling duo the Fiery Furnaces as current personal favorites (the latter band's debut LP made the Long List).

The nominated albums must have sold less than 500,000 copies in the U.S. by the end of the prize's eligibility period (this year, between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004). Franz Ferdinand and the Killers' albums have both since exceeded that total.

A compilation album featuring songs from all 10 Shortlist finalists, as well as Long List nominees Ryan Adams, Café Tacuba, Jem, Muse and Secret Machines, is due November 2 from Razor & Tie Records.

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Shortlist Music Prize

15 Sep 2004 11:42:22 EDT

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New Releases: Nelly, Prodigy, Mr. Cheeks, Megadeth, Fu Manchu, Dizzee Rascal, Bowling For Soup & More

13 Sep 2004 09:55:00 EDT

Nelly's Sweat/Suit
Photo: Fo' Real/Universal

Sweaty club patrons and slick-suited players alike will find tracks to grind to on this week's top new release.

Nelly returns with a double shot of his Southern rap, with one half of Sweatsuit heating up the party with club tracks (Sweat) and the other taking the tempo down a couple notches while upping the sexy ante (Suit). The rapper, who collaborated with Mase, Fat Joe, Remy Martin, Jaheim, Christina Aguilera, Mobb Deep and country star Tim McGraw on the LP, said he had so much great material coming out of him in the studio that he couldn't possibly limit his third album to just one disc.

Last year, Mr. Cheeks came Back Again! with a new album and just 18 months later, he's back again with Ladies & Ghettomen. Meanwhile, garage/hip-hop artist Dizzee Rascal, who won the U.K.'s Mercury Prize in 2003 and is on the Long List for this year's Shortlist Music Prize, will release his sophomore album, Showtime, this week.

On the harder side of things, the Prodigy, whose biggest release was 1997's The Fat of the Land, will release the more dance-oriented Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, which debuted at #1 on the British charts at the end of August. Sticking with the heaviness, Megadeth will release their 10th studio album, The System Has Failed, their first since 2001's The World Needs a Hero.

Van Halen are releasing their 1986 video "Live Without a Net" onto DVD. With Sammy Hagar at the mic, the band rocks through tracks like "Why Can't This Be Love?" and "There's Only One Way to Rock." In other '80s rock band news, Tears for Fears will release Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, their first studio release since 1989.

Guns N' Roses bassist Tommy Stinson, who recently put out a solo album, Village Gorilla Head, is releasing Once, Twice, Three Times a Maybe from his band Perfect, which formed in 1995 but only released an EP in 1996.

Pop-punk outfit Bowling for Soup are making their oddball name more widely recognized with the single "1985" off their newest album, A Hangover You Don't Deserve, which comes out this week. "The Lyricist Lounge Show" star and underground hip-hop fixture Wordsworth drops his debut solo effort, Mirror Music. And on the indie rock side of things, the Thrills release their sophomore LP, Let's Bottle Bohemia, and Canadian duo Tegan & Sara see their third album, So Jealous, hit shelves.

Some of the other artists with albums hitting stores in this big release week are the Datsuns (Outta Sight/ Outta Mind), Fu Manchu (Start the Machine), Flogging Molly (Within a Mile of Home), Citizen Cope (The Clarence Greenwood Recordings), Har Mar Superstar (The Handler), the Zombies (As Far as I Can See), Ray LaMontagne (Trouble), Gov't Mule (Deja Voodoo) and Branford Marsalis (Eternal).

Out Tuesday, September 14:

Mindi Abair - Come as You Are (GRP)
Across Five Aprils - Living in the Moment (Indianola)
Action Action - Don't Cut Your Fabric to This Year's Fashion (Victory)
Eric Alexander - Dead Center (HighNote)
Anthony B - Untouchable (Pyramid)
The Arcade Fire - Funeral (Merge)
BeauSoleil - Gitan Cajun (Gypsy Cajun) (Vanguard)
Blackfield - Blackfield (Snapper)
Bowling for Soup - A Hangover You Don't Deserve (Jive)
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Timeless (HighTone)
Norman Brown - West Coast Coolin' (Warner Bros.)
Kasey Chambers - Wayward Angel (Warner Bros.)
Peter Cincotti - On the Moon (Concord)
Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordings (RCA)
Cowboy Jack Clement - Guess Things Happen That Way (DualTone)
The Datsuns - Outta Sight/ Outta Mind (V2)
Dead to Fall - Villainy and Virtue (Victory)
Dem Franchise Boyz - Dem Franchise Boyz (Universal)
Dizzee Rascal - Showtime (XL/Beggars Banquet)
Dollhouse - Rock and Soul Circus (Dim Mak)
Dub FX - Dub FX (Pyramid)
Fast Forward/ T Cells - Split (Three One G)
The Faint - Wet From Birth (Saddle Creek)
The Features - Exhibit A (Universal)
Flogging Molly - Within a Mile of Home (SideOneDummy)
Fonzie - Wake Up Call (Transdreamer)
Fu Manchu - Start the Machine (DRT)
Giant Sand - Is All Over ... the Map (Thrill Jockey)
Gov't Mule - Deja Voodoo (ATO)
The Great Jazz Trio - Someday My Prince Will Come (88's/Columbia)
Hilary Hahn - Elgar Violin Concerto/ Lark Ascending (Deutsche Grammophon)
Har Mar Superstar - The Handler (Record Collection)
Ginny Hawker and Tracy Schwarz - Come Closer (Rounder)
John Herman - Just Ain't Right (Sanctuary)
The High Water Marks - Songs About the Ocean (Eenie Meenie)
Japancakes - Waking Hours (Warm Electronic)
Mike Katz - A Month of Sundays (Rounder)
The Knockout Pills - 1 + 1=ATE (Estrus)
Lake of Tears - Black Brick Road (Sanctuary/Noise)
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble (RCA)
Layton - Grand Design (Leftwing)
Ludicra - Another Great Love Song (Alternative Tentacles)
Mannheim Steamroller - Monster Mix (American Gramaphone)
Augie March - Strange Bird (spinART)
Branford Marsalis - Eternal (Marsalis Music/Rounder)
Mark McKay - Shimmer (Bacchus/ Toadfish)
Megadeth - The System Has Failed (Sanctuary)
Read: "Dave Mustaine, Megadeth Return To Life With New System"
Buy Now: The System Has Failed (Sanctuary)
Brad Mehldau - Live in Tokyo (Nonesuch)
Mexican Gangster - Mexican Gangster (Thump)
Mindless Faith - Momentum (Metropolis)
Joni Mitchell - Dreamland (Rhino)
Mr. Cheeks - Ladies & Ghettomen (Legal Drug Money/ Contango)
Nicole C. Mullen - Everyday People (Word)
Nelly - Sweat and Suit (Fo' Reel/ Universal)
Read: "Nelly's Double Dose Features Mase, X-tina And ... Tim McGraw?"
Nevea Tears - Do I Have to Tell You Why I Love You (Eulogy)
Dolly Parton - Live & Well (Sugar Hill)
Polly Paulusma - Scissors in My Pocket (Birdman/ One Little Indian)
Perfect - Once, Twice, Three Times a Maybe (Rykodisc)
Houston Person - To Etta with Love (HighNote)
Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love (Rounder)
Prodigy - Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (Maverick)
Read: "Twista, Kool Keith, Juliette Lewis Smack Up New Prodigy LP"
Buy Now: Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (Maverick)
Psyche - Legacy (Metropolis)
Mark Rae - Into the Depths (Grand Central)
Rachael Sage - Ballads & Burlesque (MPress)
Saturday Looks Good to Me - Every Night (Polyvinyl)
Coyote Shivers - Gives It to Ya. Twice (Foodchain)
Signer - The New Face of Smiling (Carpark)
Silent Force - Worlds Apart (Sanctuary/Noise)
Silkworm - It'll Be Cool (Touch and Go)
The Silos - When the Telephone Rings (DualTone)
Singapore Sling - Life Is Killing My Rock 'N' Roll (Stinky)
Scott Stapleton - A Storm Over Springtime (Undecided)
Jimmy Sturr - Rock 'n Polka (Rounder)
Tears for Fears - Everybody Loves a Happy Ending (Hip-O/ UME)
Tegan & Sara - So Jealous (Vapor/ Sanctuary)
The Thrills - Let's Bottle Bohemia (Virgin)
Sally Timms - In the World of Him (Touch and Go)
Viva Voce - The Heat Can Melt Your Brain (Minty Fresh)
Paul Weller - Studio 150 (V2)
Matt Wilson's Arts and Crafts - Wake Up to What's Happening (Palmetto)
Wordsworth - Mirror Music (Halftooth)
Zap Mama - Ancestry in Progress (Luaka Bop/ v2)
Thalia Zedek - Trust Not Those in Whom Without Some Touch of Madness (Thrill Jockey)
The Zombies - As Far as I Can See (Rhino)
Various artists - Disney's Lullaby & Goodnight (Walt Disney)
Various artists - Galactic Caravan: Intergalactic Bellydance (Ark 21)
Various artists - Many Blessings (Silver Ware)
Various artists - Trance Divas (Varese Sarabande)
Various artists – Soundtrack to "Moog" (Hollywood)
Various artists – Soundtrack to "Will & Grace" (BMG SMG)
DVD: Dion - "Live" (Image Entertainment)
DVD: Godsmack - "Changes" (Rounder)
DVD: Moloko - "11,000 Clicks" (Sanctuary)
DVD: UB40 - "Homegrown in Holland Live" (Rhino)
DVD: Van Halen - "Live Without a Net" (Rhino)

September 21:

Green Day - American Idiot (Warner)
Read: "Green Day: Anatomy Of A Punk Opera"
Ben Harper & the Blind Boys of Alabama - There Will Be a Light (Virgin)
Shadows Fall - War Within (Century Media)
Keb' Mo' - Peace ... Back by Popular Demand (Sony)

September 28:

Brian Wilson - Smile (Nonesuch)
Joss Stone - Mind, Body & Soul (S-Curve)
Hilary Duff - Hilary Duff (Hollywood)
Queen Latifah - The Dana Owens Album (Interscope)

October 5:

Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked for the Holidays (Warner Bros.)
Cake - Pressure Chief (Sony)
Good Charlotte - The Chronicles of Life & Death (Sony) Read: "Good Charlotte Get Serious With The Chronicles Of Life And Death" 1489850
R.E.M. - Around the Sun (Warner Bros.)

Franz Ferdinand, Killers, Wilco, Ghostface Make First Round Of Shortlist Prize

24 Aug 2004 04:41:00 EDT

'Long List' will be whittled down to 10 finalists, and then one winner.
By Alyssa Rashbaum

Franz Ferdinand (file)
Photo: Domino

Franz Ferdinand, the Killers, Wilco, Dizzee Rascal, Ghostface Killah, Loretta Lynn, PJ Harvey, TV on the Radio and My Morning Jacket are among the 73 artists nominated to the "Long List" for the 2004 Shortlist Music Prize.

The list, which will be whittled down to 10 finalists in late September, was selected by a panel of 20 "Listmakers" that features several prominent recording artists: Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, Jack Black, John Mayer, Norah Jones, the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am, System of a Down's Serj Tankian, the Roots' Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, the Cure's Robert Smith and others.

To be eligible for the prize, which has become an honor for outside-the-mainstream artists, albums must have been released between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004 and must not have been certified gold (for sales of more than 500,000 units) at the time of the nomination (see "John Mayer, Chris Carrabba, ?uestlove, Norah Jones Sign On For Shortlist Prize").

More than half of the nominees included in this year's Long List are from independent record labels, while 15 nominees hail from the U.K. The list also includes artists from 11 countries, including France (Phoenix, Air), Australia (the Sleepy Jackson), Mexico (Café Tacuba), Japan (Melt Banana) and Ireland (Simple Kid).

As interesting as the list itself are details about which Listmaker nominated which records. Norah Jones nominated albums by Devendra Banhart and Loretta Lynn. John Mayer tapped quirky singer Nellie McKay, while Serj Tankian chose Cape Verdean vocalist Cesaria Evora. Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson went for the innovative rock sounds of Wilco and TV on the Radio.

Also on the list are veterans David Bowie and Neil Young, as well as comparative newcomers Jem, the Fiery Furnaces, the Secret Machines and Iron & Wine. The final solo album from the late Clash singer Joe Strummer is also nominated.

MTV2, the project's television sponsor for the third year, will air a special including concert footage from the awards ceremony, while XM Satellite Radio, this year's radio sponsor, will award the winner with a check for $10,000:.

The winner of the prize — which went to singer/songwriter Damien Rice for his album O last year, to N.E.R.D. in 2002, and to Sigur Rós in 2001 — will be announced during a multi-artist concert at the Wiltern in Los Angeles on November 10.

The 2004 "Long List," according to the Shortlist Organization:

TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
Wrens - Meadowlands
PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Scarling - Sweet Heart Dealer
Oceansize - Effloresce
Keb' Mo' - Keep It Simple
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Bob Schneider - I'm Good Now
Patty Griffin - Impossible Dream
David Bowie - Reality
Muse - Absolution
Cesaria Evora - Voz D'Amor
Eagles of Death Metal - Peace Love Death Metal
Bebel Gilberto - Bebel Gilberto
Buckethead - Bucketheadland 2
Bad Acid Trip - Lynch the Weirdo
Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros - Streetcore
Blonde Redhead - Misery Is a Butterfly
Phil Kline - Zippo Songs
Blanche - If We Can't Trust the Doctors
Ghostface Killah - The Pretty Toney Album
Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
Neil Young - Greendale
Holly Golightly - Truly She Is None Other
Macy Gray - The Trouble With Being Myself
Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green Is the Soul Machine
Rufus Wainwright - Want One
Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner
Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me
Magnetic Fields - i
Patti Smith - Trampin'
Fiery Furnaces - Gallowsbird's Bark
The Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere
Dead Prez - Revolutionary But Gangsta
Slum Village - Detroit Deli: A Taste of Detroit
Amel Larrieux - Bravebird
Josh Ritter - Hello Starling
Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing In the Hands
Ryan Adams - Love Is Hell
Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter - Oh, My Girl
Jem - Finally Woken
Juana Molina - Segundo
The Sleepy Jackson - Lovers
Café Tacuba - Cuatro Caminos
Non Prophets - Hope
A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder
Teitur - Poetry & Aeroplanes
Jamie Cullum - Twentysomething
The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free
Air - Talkie Walkie
Ty - Upwards
Elbow - Cast of Thousands
Galactic - Ruckus
My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves
Simple Kid - 1
Julieta Venegas - Si
Travis - 12 Memories
Gary Jules - Trading Snake Oil for Wolftickets
Van Hunt - Van Hunt
Snow Patrol - Final Straw
The Honorary Title - Anything Else But the Truth
Dios - Dios
Phoenix - Alphabetical
The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site
Keane - Hopes and Fears
Jaylib - Champion Sound
Melt Banana - Cell-Scape
Peaches - Fatherf---er
The Coral - Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker

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New Releases: Grammy Nominees 2004, Ani DiFranco, Dizzee Rascal, The Thrills, Amel Larrieux & More

20 Jan 2004 04:18:00 EST

The music industry is just coming out of its winter slumber and the timing couldn't be better: Grammy ramp-up is upon us. Getting in on the act is Grammy Nominees 2004, a disc whose track list reads like a Now That's What I Call Music! compilation. But, because of the sole inclusion of a Michael McDonald song, isn't. On the album you'll find Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love," Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River," 50 Cent's "In Da Club," Avril Lavigne's "I'm With You," Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom" and Sean Paul's "Gimme the Light."

One-girl revolution Ani DiFranco returns to her roots on Educated Guess, where she performs (and writes and records and produces) every song herself. Meanwhile, songbird Amel Larrieux becomes a Bravebird this week alongside the "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!" soundtrack, featuring Liz Phair, John Mayer and Five for Fighting; new Wu-Tang protégés Northstar and their debut album, Bobby Digital Presents ... Northstar; and King Cobra's self-titled EP.

Also out this week are two notable DVDs: Belle and Sebastian's Fans Only and "The Complete First Season" of "Punk'd."

Out Tuesday, January 20:

Charles Afton - Lost Sunset Lounge (Kriztal)
Aluminum Group - More Happyness (Wishing Tree)
The Beaton Family - Cape Breton Fiddle & Piano Music of Mabou (Smithsonian Folkways)
Bevel - Down the Puppet String, Marionettes (Jagjaguwar)
Books Lie - Hall of Fame of Fire (Level Plane)
Boyskout - School of Etiquette (Alive)
Califone - Heron King Blues (Thrill Jockey)
Ray Charles - Rockin' Chair Blues (Delta)
Bobby Conn - Homeland (Thrill Jockey)
Camera Obscura - Underachievers Please Try Harder (Merge)
Candy Butchers - Hang on Mike (Sony)
Clones - Need a Wave (Punk Rock Dirtnap)
The Dexateens - The Dexateens (Touch and Go)
Dexter Freedish - Tripped Into Divine (Sixthman)
Ani DiFranco - Educated Guess (Righteous Babe)
Dios - Arboles (Dim Mak)
Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner (Matador/XL)
Dub Narcotic Sound System - Degenerate Introduction (K)
Don Edwards - Last of the Troubadours - Saddle Songs Vol. 2 (Shanachie)
Espers -Espers (Locust)
The Evaporators - Ripple Rock (Alternative Tentacles)
Sally Fingerett - A Woman's Gotta Do Her Thing (Shanachie)
Lisa Gerrard and Patrick Cassidy - Immortal Memory (4AD)
Hella - The Devil Isn't Red (5 Rue Christine)
Hello Dave - Perfect Day (Fresh Tracks)
The Hollow Points - Annihilation (Punk Rock Dirtnap)
IIIrd Tyme Out - Erase the Miles (Rebel)
The Impressions - Tribute to Curtis Mayfield (Delta)
The Intelligence - Boredom and Terror (Omnibus)
Rodd Keith - Ecstasy to Frenzy (Tzadik)
Kronow - Deserve Damnation (Hapi Skratch)
Kylesa - No Ending 110 Degree Heat Index (Prank)
Joe Jackson - Live (Koch)
King Cobra - King Cobra (Troubleman Unlimited)
Kohn - Bruce Willis (Western Vinyl)
Amel Larrieux - Bravebird (Blisslife)
John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band (Koch)
The Lost Patrol - Songs About Running Away (Burning Heart)
Hannah Marcus - Desert Farmers (Bar/None)
Al McKibbon - Black Orchid (Nine Yards)
The Mekons - Punk Rock (Quarterstick)
Miss Derringer - King James, Crown Royal & a Colt 45 (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
Jason Molina - Pyramid Electric Co. (Secretly Canadian)
Lorrie Morgan - Show Me How (Image Entertainment)
Mother Superior - 13 Violets (Topbeat)
Necronomitron - Necronomitron (Load)
Neva Dinova/ Bright Eyes - Neva Dinova/ Bright Eyes (split disc, Crank!)
New End Original - Lukewarm (Jade Tree)
Northstar - Bobby Digital Presents ... Northstar (Koch/ In the Paint)
Oneida - Secret Wars (Jagjaguwar)
Greg Palast - Weapons of Mass Destruction (Alternative Tentacles)
Raising the Fawn - By the Warmth of Your Flame (Sonic Unyon)
Ramiyah - Ramiyah (Music World/Columbia)
Rapider Than Horsepower - This Is My Big Night (Essay)
Red Tyger Church - Free Energy (Alive)
Seabound - Beyond Flatline (Metropolis)
Sigmatropic - Sixteen Haiku & Other Stories (Thirsty Ear)
Sister Hazel - Live*LIVE (Sixthman)
Special Goodness - Land Air Sea (Epitaph)
Statistics - Leave Your Name (Jade Tree)
Casey Stratton - Standing at the Edge (Sony Classical)
The Thrills - N.A.F.I.T.C. (Bacchus)
Toys That Kill - Flys (Asian Man)
Transistor Transistor/Wolves - Split (Level-Plane)
Tussle - Don't Stop (Troubleman Unlimited)
John Vanderslice - Cellar Door (Barsuk)
Volcano, I'm Still Excited!! - Volcano, I'm Still Excited!! (Polyvinyl)
The Willowz - The Willowz (Dionysus)
The WPP - Baam! Jaam! (Substandard)
Various artists - Acoustic Disc: 100% Handmade Bluegrass (Acoustic Disc)
Various artists - Grammy Nominees 2004 (BMG)
Various artists - Rhythm, Love and Soul (Sony)
Various artists - "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!" soundtrack (Aware/Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax)
DVD: Charly Antolini - Jazz Power: Hot Jazz Festival (Music Video Distributors/Inakustik)
DVD: The Battle for L.A. (Redline)
DVD: Belle & Sebastian - Fans Only (Matador)
DVD: Friend 'n Fellow - Live (Music Video Distributors)
DVD: Meat Beat Manifesto - In Dub 5.1 Surround (Music Video Distributors/Lakeshore)
DVD: MTV Punk'd - "The Complete First Season" (Paramount)
DVD: Sir Mix-A-Lot - Shhhh ... Don't Tell 'Em That (Image Entertainment)
DVD: Sister Hazel - A Life in the Day (Sixthman)

January 27:

Air - Talkie Walkie (Astralwerks)
Twista - Kamikaze (Atlantic)

February 3:

Five for Fighting - The Battle for Everything (Sony)
Incubus - A Crow Left of the Murder (Sony) Read: "Incubus Experiment With New Sounds On Crow Left Of The Murder"
TLC - Now and Forever (La Face) Read: "TLC Hits Album To Feature Lil Jon, Unreleased Left Eye Track"

February 10:

Norah Jones - Feels Like Home (Blue Note) Read:"Norah Jones Returns Home With New Album"
Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart (Virgin)
Kylie Minogue - Body Language (Capitol)
Various artists - "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" soundtrack (Capitol)

For a look back at previous big Grammy winners, red carpet photos and much more, visit our Grammy News Archive.

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